Islamic Republic of Iran

 

The Sub-Programme 3, "Drug Use Prevention, Treatment, Rehabilitation, and HIV Care" aims at reducing the demand for drugs, mitigating the public health and social consequences of drug abuse, and protecting vulnerable individuals, families and communities from drug addiction and HIV. To this end, it will support and enhance partnership in the following two areas: (1) enhancing comprehensive and evidence-based drug use prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration, with special emphasis on the high risk groups and (2) strengthening and expanding comprehensive, evidence-informed, and quality public health services and programmes on HIV prevention, treatment and care.

The Project will work towards the achievement of its objectives through a balanced, comprehensive and multi-sectoral approach which includes prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and social protection and cohesion. The Sub-Programme will provide value-added support to the quantitative and qualitative expansion of existing drug demand reduction programmes, with special emphasis on high-risk groups.

National drug use prevention programmes will be improved through the adaptation and scaling-up of scientific, evidence-based prevention training packages, tools and guidelines. Quality treatment services and programmes will be introduced and supported, paying special attention to women, children, Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS) and poly-drug users. Experts and practitioners in the fields of prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration from both the public sector and Civil Society Organizations (CSO) will receive systematic specialized training to increase the level of their knowledge and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of services.

The activities of the sub-programme will also include assessing the effectiveness of needs-based packages and programmes for prime target groups. This will contribute to the enhancement of the national monitoring and evaluation capacities and practices in the field of drug demand reduction, which would be an important base for future planning and implementation.

In the field of HIV prevention, treatment and care, Sub-Programme 3 will support the development and expansion of quality public health services and programmes that are accessible to the relevant vulnerable groups, including people who use and/or inject drugs and inmates.

Relevant evidence-based tools and guidelines will be developed, adapted, and evaluated, while the knowledge and capacities of national experts and practitioners at public and private health centres, police and prisons, DICs, and CSOs will be enhanced through training workshops and events.

In all the above-mentioned areas of its work, Sub-programme 3 will facilitate and foster regional and international cooperation and networking through South-South and North-South dialogue and partnership, meetings and visits for sharing and exchanging experiences and know-how, and active Iranian participation in relevant regional and international forums and events. The sub-programme will also pay special attention to advocacy and community awareness-raising activities on drug demand reduction and on HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

Furthermore, the sub-programme will ensure synergy with the relevant UNODC Global projects, especially on a) International Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Standards; b) ODC Guidelines for Policy-makers.